SYRIA - COMPLEX EMERGENCY FACT SHEET #15, FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2013 MAY 9, 2013 NUMBERS AT HIGHLIGHTS HUMANITARIAN FUNDING A GLANCE TO SYRIA HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE IN FY 2012 AND 2013 USG provides more than $100 million in additional humanitarian assistance USAID/OFDA1 $79,696,239 6.8 million 2 People in Need of Humanitarian Conflict displaces population of Ein el USAID/FFP $145,515,020 Assistance in Syria Tal Palestinian refugee camp State/PRM3 $283,759,159 U.N. – April 2013 Relief organizations respond to measles $508,970,418 4.25 million cases and other medical needs TOTAL U.S. GOVERNMENT (USG) ASSISTANCE TO THE SYRIA Internally Displaced Persons HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE (IDPs) in Syria U.N. – April 2013 1.4 million KEY DEVELOPMENTS Syrians Displaced to Neighboring Countries On May 8, the USG announced $100 million in additional humanitarian assistance to UNHCR – April 2013 conflict-affected populations both inside Syria and across the region. The support includes approximately $84 million in contributions to the Office of the U.N. High 448,370 Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Syrian Refugees in Jordan working in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey to support a range of activities including water, UNHCR – April 2013 sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) assistance; child-friendly spaces (CFS); food assistance; protection activities; shelter; education; quick-impact projects; and refugee camp 457,186 construction. Inside Syria, $16 million in support to U.N. agencies will provide IDPs Syrian Refugees in Lebanon and other conflict victims with basic necessities, shelter, cash assistance, health care, and UNHCR – May 2013 protection services. On April 29, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres described the 324,770 potential large-scale use of chemical weapons in Syria as a “devastating scenario,” one in Syrian Refugees in Turkey which U.N. agencies would be unable to continue delivering humanitarian aid. The UNHCR – May 2013 Syrian Arab Republic Government (SARG) and opposition groups have accused each other of using chemical weapons, and the U.N.’s Independent International 144,016 Commission of Inquiry for Syria is investigating use of chemical weapons by any Syrian Refugees in Iraq conflict party. UNHCR – May 2013 Increasing numbers of Palestinian refugees are being affected by the Syria conflict, reports UNRWA. Approximately 235,000 Palestinian refugees, nearly half of Syria’s 62,502 Palestinian refugee population, have been displaced inside Syria as of early May. In late Syrian Refugees in Egypt April, conflict in Ein el Tal Palestinian refugee camp displaced nearly the entire UNHCR – May 2013 population of the camp—6,000 people—in Aleppo Governorate. 1 USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) 2 USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) 3 U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (State/PRM) 1 HEALTH Humanitarian agencies remain concerned regarding the increased incidence of measles among conflict-affected populations in Syria and neighboring countries. In response, the U.N. and other humanitarian organizations initiated a national vaccination campaign in Syria, and as of May 2, had vaccinated more than 900,000 children in Syria with the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. The vaccination campaign will continue through May to reach children in all Syrian governorates. In addition, one USG-supported non-governmental organization (NGO) is collaborating with humanitarian partners to vaccinate children in northern Syria, reaching more than 3,000 children with measles vaccinations in mid-April. In addition to the increased incidence of measles in Syria, cases also continue to surface in Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon. In Jordan, relief organizations have identified 27 cases among Syrian refugees—including five in Za’atri refugee camp—between February and late April, according to UNHCR. In the city of Domiz, Iraq, where Syrian refugees are residing in camps and with host communities, 61 cases have been detected. In Lebanon, approximately 16 percent of 365 cases countrywide are among Syrian refugees. Other common health conditions among the refugees include acute respiratory infections and diarrhea, both of which are major causes of acute illness for the population. The health situation in Syria continues to deteriorate, with affected populations facing difficulties in receiving health care. The USG is prioritizing expanding emergency medical assistance to affected individuals in Syria. With support from the USG, NGO partners in Syria have provided more than 44,000 surgeries, as well as supported the delivery of emergency medical supplies to health facilities. In addition, the USG recently deployed a health specialist to the region to help strengthen disease surveillance and response systems. A growing number of pregnant women in Syria are choosing to give birth by cesarean section rather than natural birth in order to have a skilled attendant present, reports the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). In recent months, 66 percent of deliveries in Homs Governorate were cesarean, as were 60 percent in Aleppo Governorate and 52 percent in Damascus Governorate. In other conflict-affected areas, an increasing number of women are giving birth in private homes; without an attendant, at-home births may present health risks for both mothers and infants. To address such health risks, the USG has provided support to the U.N. Population Fund (UNFPA) for reproductive health assistance inside Syria. According to UNHCR, burgeoning Syrian refugee populations throughout the region have strained host country health services, leaving more than 1 million refugees—particularly those with chronic or other costly health conditions—unable to find necessary treatment. Refugees living in Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq require treatment for a wide range of both common and conflict-related health conditions, with those living outside established camps most at risk. The USG supports NGOs providing primary health care services for Syrian refugees through established and mobile clinics in Jordan and Lebanon, as well as trainings for the Jordanian Ministry of Health to better prepare health personnel to manage the growing caseload. WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE Conflict in Syria has disrupted water availability, with power cuts, fuel shortages, damage to infrastructure, and disruption of production and maintenance at water works decreasing water availability to one-third that of pre-crisis levels, according to UNICEF. On average, individuals have access to 25 liters of water per day, down from 75 liters prior to the crisis. The USG is working with partners in Syria to expand the availability of safe drinking water and improve sanitation services, including through the rehabilitation of water and sanitation infrastructure, design of emergency water distribution systems, and installation of hand-washing stations. To improve access to safe drinking water for Syria’s affected populations, UNICEF is distributing 16 generators in Aleppo, Damascus, Hamah, Homs, Dayr az Zawr, Idlib, and Al Qunaytirah governorates that will be used to provide electricity for drinking water pumping stations, benefiting up to 2.1 million people. In addition, one USG-supported NGO is providing a daily supply of safe drinking water for nearly 25,000 individuals in northern Syria. 2 The USG is also supporting partners to promote improved hygiene and health among populations across northern Syria. One USG NGO partner supported hygiene promoters to reach nearly 9,500 people with targeted hygiene information between April 15 and 21. In addition, an NGO partner distributed hygiene kits and water purification kits to approximately 4,300 people in northern Syria in mid-April. FOOD SECURITY In Aleppo Governorate, humanitarian organizations are working to deliver much-needed food assistance. A USG- supported partner is distributing approximately 800 metric tons (MT) of flour per week to Aleppo bakeries for the production of bread, which is a staple food in Syria. To date, the partner has provided more than 5,700 MT of flour to 86 bakeries, which have produced sufficient bread for an estimated 210,000 people on a daily basis. The partner has also distributed more than 40,000 family food rations to displaced and host community households affected by the ongoing conflict. To date in FY 2013, the USG has provided more than $22 million to NGO partners for food assistance inside Syria. During the monthly distribution cycle completed April 23, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) provided food rations to nearly 1.9 million people in Syria, an increase of more than 200,000 from the previous month. WFP convoys were suspended between April 16 and 24 due to changes in SARG procedures concerning for safe passage of convoys, causing WFP to fall short of its target of 2.5 million people. Food dispatches resumed on April 25 and WFP expects that it will reach its target of 2.5 million people during the current distribution cycle. In Egypt, WFP provided food assistance to 26,250 Syrian refugees in April, reaching approximately 96 percent of the 27,234 refugees targeted. WFP achieved a high turnout rate using SMS technology to notify beneficiaries of the voucher distribution. To support the food needs of Syrian refugees in Turkey, WFP and the Turkish Red Crescent Society expanded their electronic food voucher program to include Nizip 1, Karkamis, Adana, and Islahiye refugee camps on April 16, according to WFP. The expansion nearly doubled WFP’s beneficiaries in Turkey to 80,000 people, or approximately 40 percent of Turkey’s refugee camp population. The voucher program—supported by the USG and other donors— utilizes electronic cards loaded with a monthly amount of 80 Turkish Liras, or approximately $45, per person, redeemable at designated commercial vendors for food items. The USG remains the largest donor to WFP’s emergency food operations for the Syria humanitarian response, providing nearly $123 million to WFP in FY 2012 and FY 2013 for food assistance in Syria and the region.